When facing a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series against a team that has won the last 10 provincial senior A baseball championships, what does a coach tell his players?

“It’s going to be hard road, but I don’t think we’re out of it yet,” said Joe Wadden of his Mount Pearl Blazers, who are about to embark on win-or-they’re-out weekend against the St. John’s Winmar Capitals at the Smallwood Drive Field in Mount Pearl.

“I’m optimistic we’re going to pull at least a couple of games out of it.”

Game 4 of the series goes 7 p.m. tonight in Mount Pearl.

A Capitals’ win tonight would give them the sweep. A Blazers’ victory would supply Mount Pearl at least some hope for the following days.

Game 5, if necessary, is slated for 1 p.m. Saturday. Game 6 would go 7 p.m. that same day, and if a series deciding game is needed, it is set for 1 p.m. Sunday.

While the Capitals have been perennial in their appearances in the provincial final, this is all new territory for the Blazers.

“I know it’s a funny thing to say a senior team doesn’t have experience, but this is our first provincial final,” noted Wadden, who feels that for his team to get back in the series, everything has to go right, especially on the pitching end.

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St. John’s outscored Mount Pearl 20-7 in the first three games of the series, taking Game 1 8-2 and finishing last weekend at St. Pat’s Ball Park with an 11-5 victory in Game 3.

“It’s going to be hard road, but I don’t think we’re out of it yet,”Joe Wadden of his Mount Pearl Blazers

But Game 2 was a 1-0 squeaker, which the Caps won on a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning.

“That loss took a little bit of life out of us,” Wadden admitted. “It was probably our best game in the series, but we’re still not hitting like we should.”

“And Game 1 was close (at 3-1) until Gerald Butt hit a three-run shot and that was the end of that.

Wadden admits that if the Blazers had come away with just one win from St. Pat’s last weekend, the confidence level would be considerably higher. However, he says there is still certainly enough to produce a critical win tonight.

“Hopefully we can get it together. We’d like to get some respect and maybe we can. Maybe we are the Boston Red Sox,” Wadden added with a laugh, referring to the Bosox’ famous 2004 win over the New York Yankees in the American League final after falling behind 3-0 in the series.